A Divided Heart

In the past few weeks we have been looking at the factors that influence revival, as described in Jesus’ parable of the seed and sower. Today I’d like to focus on the third type of soil described in the parable which helps explain why the season in which He revealed His glory in the church I pastored was not sustained. Jesus described it this way: “Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain” (Mark 4:7). His interpretation is found in verses 18 and 19 of that same chapter. Notice the three things represented by thorns: “Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”

This is describing a heart that is worldly, divided, double-minded and distracted. We would do well to heed its warning.

Hundreds of things, which, in and of themselves are innocent, become hell’s little helpers and poison to the soul when we set our hearts on them.

Distractions of all kinds are in constant competition for the chief place in our affections. They become idols when they mean more to us than Jesus does. Yet Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

If the devil cannot have you as a non-believer, he will attempt to make it so that Jesus Christ is not the all-consuming passion of your life. He will try to keep you from having Jesus be the center of your life, the main thing. This battle for our affections may be the biggest fight of the  Christian life. It is crucial that we win this ongoing battle.

The world continually attempts to persuade us to pursue leisure and entertainment. For older Americans the message is to travel, enjoy that RV, watch television, play BINGO or Bridge. Younger people are often entertained by, and distracted from, eternal things through social media, surfing the net, texting, ipods, television and electronic games. None of these things are sinful in and of themselves, but they can lure us away from the things that are truly valuable such as loving God wholeheartedly and loving people.

I sometimes receive flyers in the mail advertising satellite TV or a cable package that includes ESPN and various sports stations. And I think to myself: I could kick back every evening and watch my favorite teams play. There are so many stations to choose from that I could always find a decent sporting even or show to be entertained by. I admit: it is tempting!

Then one day in heaven I could hear Jesus say to me: “Well done good and faithful football fan!” (Just kidding)

I encourage you to resist the bombardment from the world that is trying to persuade you to let entertainment be your god. Let’s not let the trivial take us away from the more important matters of life, the eternal priorities. Let’s not waste our lives on things that won’t ultimately matter.

Paul wrote: “Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians. 3:1-2).

When my children were young, I used to take them to a video arcade. There was a game there that illustrates the kind of battle we fight. The player held a gun that shot a laser at a screen full of circles that randomly flashed. Each circle was numbered one, two or three indicating the number of points you earned by hitting it while it was lit up. After playing a few games, I realized that when I was shooting at the one’s, I missed out on the two’s and three’s that had lit briefly up. The best strategy for getting the maximum score was to totally ignore the ones and to only concentrate on shooting twos and threes.

Being preoccupied with shooting at insignificant “one’s” is a great picture of what this world does to us with its preoccupation with entertainment and leisure. We can become so distracted that we lose our focus on the eternal. I observed this happening in some of the people who had been touched by the move of God’s Spirit.

How about you? Have you been duped by this world into concentrating on lesser things? Or is your energy being invested in those things that are eternal and significant in God’s eyes?

Copyright Ed Skipper 2013

For more information about Ed’s ministry, to listen to him speak or to contact him about speaking to your group, visit heartofrevival.net.

On a Mission

For the past few weeks we have been discussing why, after a powerful move of God, would individuals, and the church as a whole, fall back? A further observation is this: It is vital to realize that God blesses us, individually and corporately, so that we can bless others. It is not for us alone.

It is wonderful and satisfying to bask in the strong presence of the Lord. As David wrote: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4).

But God does not display His glory so that we can be entertained or so that we can “hoard it.” His purpose is always to advance His kingdom. Revival activity dies down when this is not the goal.

In the book of Ezekiel, God gives us a glimpse of His own heart when He says, “Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?” (Ezekial 18:23). God’s heart is set on reaching lost people.

Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10). The one thing we cannot do in heaven is join Jesus in this search and rescue mission. It will be too late then. Now is the time.

I am convinced that the Lord wants to break our hearts over the condition of the lost people-all around us who are in bondage. The sinful nature dominates them and they have accumulated a huge stockpile of sins that are not forgiven, putting them at eternal risk.

Furthermore, God wants us to be so thrilled, enthralled and captivated with Jesus and our salvation that we are eager to talk about this treasure that we have found in Him.

During our mini-revival God was asking our church to share what He was giving us but the vast majority didn’t do this and so missed out on a great blessing. I think the reason we often neglect to share is that it is scary and we don’t know how people will respond. But we need to remember that if God sends us He prepares the way and goes with us.

Here is an example: When I pastored in Springfield my friend Steve and I would often pray together on Saturday mornings. These were intense times of calling out to the Lord. One morning both of us felt a very strong urging from the Lord to get out of the church building and go share the Word. Sensing the need to obey the Holy Spirit, we didn’t feel that we could put this off until later.

Steve suggested that we go door-to-door. Though apprehensive I knew I needed to respond to the prompting of the Lord. So we went.

Christians who have gone door-to-door know that there can be a great deal of resistance. That is why we were surprised when at the second house we encountered there was a man who welcomed us right in and had us sit down in his living room.

He told us that several days earlier, he had seen me walking and praying in the neighborhood. I’m not sure how he knew I was praying, but upon rightly discerning that that is what I was doing, this man asked God to send me to his house. A few days later we were at his doorstep! God worked both ends of the equation prompting this man to pray that I would come and prompting us to go out. No wonder the man welcomed us in and was open to hear what we had to say!

That was many years ago. During the time that God poured out His Spirit in Lebanon, I felt the same kind of prompting once again to the take the message to the streets, so to speak. For years I had prayed, meditated, studied the Word and memorized Scripture. It was time to put that to use reaching out to the unsaved. Unfortunately, many people were not ready for reaching out. I am convinced that failure to join the Lord in his mission hindered a further move of God.

Copyright Ed Skipper 2013

For more information about Ed’s ministry, to listen to him speak or to contact him about speaking to your group, visit heartofrevival.net.

Expect Trouble

In the early weeks that I experienced God’s outpouring in 2006, I was on an emotional high. What was happening around me and in me was so thrilling that I was in a near-constant state of excitement. This was not permanent, of course.  Especially in America, where we tend to be spoiled, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our relationship with Christ will put us on a never-ending high and keep us from trouble.

Some who had been deeply touched by the Lord during this time, were caught off guard and disheartened when they discovered firsthand that serving the Lord not only involves exhilaration but also severe trials.

During this season my wife Char told me that she heard the Holy Spirit whisper to her, “Did you think this would be easy?”- dispelling any notion that it should be. Christians who don’t expect their spiritual lives to be a battle set themselves up for disillusionment.

Jesus promised that in this world you will have trouble (John 16:33). Like most people I don’t like trouble, but we should come to expect it as normative as long as we live in this world.

In the ninth grade, when the fall sports season came around, I decided to join the cross country team. My real motivation was to get in shape for basketball season and I feared I’d get hurt if I played football. As it turned out, I hated cross country. Running ten miles of steep hills in The Dalles was not my idea of fun. But I had no one but myself to blame-I'm the one who signed up for cross country!

When we choose to follow Christ we sign up for a battle. As Peter puts it: Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening (1 Pt. 4:12). Personal revival is not sustainable for those who don’t realize this.

Charles Spurgeon had a clear understanding that trials are part of the Christian life: “Soldier of Christ, if thou enlisteth, thou wilt have to do hard battle. There is no bed of down for thee; there is no riding to heaven in a chariot; the rough way must be trodden; mountains must be climbed, rivers must be forded, dragons must be fought, giants must be slain, difficulties must be overcome, and great trials must be borne. It is not a smooth road to heaven, believe me; for those who have gone but a very few steps therein have found it to be a rough one. It is a pleasant one; it is the most delightful in all the world, but it is not easy in itself; it is only pleasant because of the company, because of the sweet promises on which we lean, because of our Beloved who walks with us through all the rough and thorny brakes of this vast wilderness.”

He went on to give some excellent advice: “If I had no trouble I would not believe myself one of the family. If I never had a trial I would not think myself [an] heir of heaven. Children of God must not, shall not, escape the rod. Earthly parents may spoil their children but the heavenly Father never shall his. ‘Whom he loveth he chasteneth,’ and scourgeth every son whom he hath chosen. His people must suffer; therefore, expect it Christian; if thou art a child of God believe it, look for it, and when it comes, say, ‘Well suffering, I foresaw thee; thou art no stranger; I have looked for thee continually.’ You cannot tell how much it will lighten your trials, if you await them with resignation. In fact, make it a wonder if you get through a day easily. If you remain a week without persecution, think it a remarkable thing; and if you should, perchance, live a month without heaving a sigh from your inmost heart, think it a miracle of miracles. But when the trouble comes, say, “’Ah! this is what I looked for; it is marked in the chart to heaven; the rock is put down; I will sail confidently by it; my Master has not deceived me.’”

One scripture verse that has helped me time and again in times of trial is Hebrews 12:7: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?” I can look at troubles as part of my training. I can view any given hardship as tailor-made for the development of my character. He is maturing me and teaching me perseverance.

If my goal in life is ease, comfort and favorable circumstances, then God and I will not get along very well. His objective is to form Christ-likeness in me. In God’s school of training hardship is considerably more effective than ease so He uses it liberally. 

In the midst of the training that He brings through hardship, we can set our hearts and minds on eternal things, longing for the day when “there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

Friend, as you experience disappointment and trials of various kinds, when hardships threaten to shake your faith, don’t do what I observed some doing during our mini-revival. Don’t back down in any way on your commitment to follow Jesus Christ. Instead, rethink your attitude toward trials. Expect them and embrace them knowing that God is using them to transform you.
 

Copyright Ed Skipper 2013

For more information about Ed’s ministry, to listen to him speak or to contact him about speaking to your group, visit heartofrevival.net.

Self-righteousness

After God moved mightily in our church 2006, I noticed that some people tried to get right, or stay right with God, through their own human effort. They put pressure on themselves to perform well enough to be acceptable to God. I believe this kept people from experiencing the full lasting impact of the Lord’s visitation.

What we sometimes fail to appreciate and appropriate is this: for those of us who are genuinely born again, we are already accepted. The mercy we have received sets us free from striving to be “good enough” for God and  serves as motivation to live a holy life. We live a godly life as a grateful response to our right standing with God which we have received through our faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection. As Paul puts it: “Therefore I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).

Imagine that you are a gifted basketball player trying out for the U.S. Olympic team. As coaches evaluate you during practice sessions, you feel a great deal of pressure to perform well. You try hard to make every shot, move without the ball, crash the boards, pass to the open player, block out on rebounds, stay with the person you are guarding, etc. You give it your best effort to earn a spot on the team.

Many in the church are living their spiritual life in this way: pressuring themselves to live good enough to be acceptable to God.

Now imagine that you have already been selected to be an Olympian. During practice you still want to play hard and play well but for a different reason. You are grateful to be on the team and want to express your gratitude by giving maximum effort. Furthermore, you want to represent your country well.

Likewise, as Christians we are grateful to be part of the family of God and we show our gratitude by abandoning ourselves to God and His purposes. Our love for the Lord also motivates us to represent Him well.

The effort to live righteous lives due to self-reliance rather than reliance on God leads to frustration and failure. Peter states: “If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11).

Living for Christ is not just a matter of knowing what is righteous but tapping into the power that enables us to live righteously. The good news is that God’s Word promises believers a new nature and access to resurrection power (Eph. 1:18-21). This is the difference between serving in our own strength versus serving in the strength God supplies.

I taught kindergarten for seven years. One of my instructional goals was to teach children to write the letters of the alphabet. Over and over again, and in a variety of ways, I had my students do exercises that taught them what each letter looked like. They wrote letters in little cardboard sandboxes, made their bodies into the shape of letters, made Playdough letters, etc. When the letters they wrote did not look right, I had them examine the real letter so that they would know exactly what it looked like.

After years of this kind of instruction I discovered something that changed my perspective. I was fooling around one evening at home experimenting with left-handed writing. The letters I produced with my non-dominant left hand looked very much like the kindergartners’ handwriting that I had so often tried to get the students to improve upon.

Failure to know what the letters looked like was not the reason I was unable to duplicate them with my left hand. I knew exactly what they looked like. The problem was that my left hand was not capable of making perfect copies. It dawned on me that the kindergartners’ handwriting problems were not caused by the lack of letter recognition but by their lack of motor skills.  Their young hand wrote like my left hand.

The parallel in the Christian life is this:  It is not enough to know what God’s standards are. We also need the power to carry them out. And He has promised us the enabling power we need. Peter wrote, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3). And Paul wrote, “…it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose (Phil. 2:13).

We can rely on that divine power rather than on our own resources as we seek to live righteously in response to the mercy He has shown us by accepting us into His family.

Have you ceased trying to earn God’s approval by being good enough? Have you received the acceptance that is yours in Christ? Does that motivate you to holy living? Are you living in dependence upon the strength that God provides as opposed to your own strength?

Copyright Ed Skipper 2013

For more information about Ed’s ministry, to listen to him speak or to contact him about speaking to your group, visit heartofrevival.net.